New commissioner restores State Police barracks staffing

John Pirro

Updated 11:30 pm, Monday, March 24, 2014

A trooper was scheduled to be back on duty at Troop A in Southbury on Monday night after new Public Safety Commissioner Dora Schriro restored around-the-clock staffing at several State Police barracks that had been closed overnight and weekends for nearly two years.

"After careful consideration, I have determined that our state police barracks need to be open and accessible to the public 24/7," Schriro said.

The change is effective immediately, she said.

Schriro's predecessor, Reuben Bradford, had overseen a consolidation that removed dispatchers from barracks in Southbury, Canaan, Danielson and Montville, and eliminated overnight and weekend staffing by troopers in April 2012. The cost-saving move drew fire from the state police union and some local officials, who said it had resulted in emergency response delays.

"Restoring 24/7 coverage at state trooper barracks is a good first step in addressing public safety concerns in our towns and cities," said Betsy Gara, executive director of the Connecticut Council of Small Towns, which represents municipalities with of fewer than 30,000 people.

"The consolidation of dispatch centers has created delays and gaps in responding to emergency calls that have raised very serious concerns in our communities."

Under Bradford's plan, dispatch operations for Troop A in Southbury and Troop B in Canaan were moved to Troop L in Litchfield, and call boxes were installed outside those barracks.

Schriro said the re-staffing did not cost more or reduce the number of troopers on duty.

"We've identified a way to provide that coverage in the troops without sacrificing trooper coverage on the road and in doing so give better service as well as peace of mind to all the folks all the time," Schriro said.

"It takes a lot of courage to take this step," state police union President Andrew Matthews said. "It's a good day for public safety."

A dispatcher at Troop L, who declined to be identified because he wasn't authorized to discuss the changes, said they had been told a trooper would be on duty at the Southbury barracks beginning with the 11 p.m. shift Monday, but so far there had been no word about sending dispatchers back to Troop A.

Schriro last month ordered a halt to combining other dispatch operations pending further study.